WHY NORTH EAST?

India's Northeast comprises eight states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland Tripura and Sikkim. A North East Cell was created in the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on 1.12.2011 for the promotion and protection of child rights in all the 8 States of North East (17). However, Child Right Violation and Trafficking haunting North-East India & Assam has emerged as the trafficking hub of the country (18). A recent December 2017 survey by Save the Children has brought the problem of child labour in the Assam state's tea gardens to the fore. According to the study, 37% children between the ages of 7 and 17 in the seven tea-growing districts of the state have to work. Crimes against children on the rise in Meghalaya; substance and drug abuse continue to be rampant in underprivileged marginalized communities. It is extremely important to develop child protection systems and more government investment in child health, development and protection in the North East.

The problems of child abuse and neglect in North Ease India need serious and wider consideration, particularly among the underprivileged rural and urban communities, where child protection systems are not developed, or do not reach. There is thus an urgent need for awareness, capacity building and systematic training for these professionals in preventing, detecting and responding to cases of child abuse and neglect in all settings and understand how to eliminate this menace, in partnership with other key stakeholders. The combined convergence of medical and multidisciplinary child protection systems can contribute to comprehensive health care, protection, development, treatment, social re-integration and rehabilitation of abused and neglected children.